


One Night

by SSAlias



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 50s au, M/M, Underage Sex, background jarchie, but it isnt written out, can be platonic or not- you decide!, i have a plot actually planned so i'll tag as things come up, just stated that it happened, thats it basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-07-10 06:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15943433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSAlias/pseuds/SSAlias
Summary: It had been roughly four months since Sweet Pea went to that bar. He thought, or at least tried to convince himself, that he had moved on. Riverdale is a small town though, and there's only so far you can run before you fall.





	1. Don't you Remember?

**Author's Note:**

> sometimes you already have fics in progress, sometimes you hit writers block, and sometimes a bran new idea wakes you up at 2 am and you know its fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Pea strikes a deal and I punch myself for making typos

Sweet Pea shook the yellow spray can in his hand and pressed down on the nozzle. The hiss of the air along with the smell of paint calmed him, probably because it was killing his brain cells. He didn’t really know why he was spray painting the word “BULLDOGS” on the side of the Riverdale High locker room. The giant, yellow letters popped against their electric blue outline in a way that screamed for attention. The only problem Sweet Pea saw in his work was that the paint would occasionally start to run and he’d have to catch it with his sleeve. He supposed it wasn't that bad of an issue, in fact, it looked a little cool how it dripped.

He pulled back his hood to run his hand through his hair, slight dampness seeping into his gloves from sweat. Today was ridiculously humid, so much to the point that he almost regretted layering up. Almost. His sigh was muffled by the dark blue bandana mask doning his face. Begrudgingly, he pulled his hood back up. Only two more letters to go. 

He swapped the yellow can for the blue one and arced his arm to make the curve for the “G.” He didn’t even go to Riverdale High, or any school, he dropped out at the end of last year. Cash was tight and he could'nt balance school and a full time job. That job being a busboy at Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe. FP had helped him get the gig, but he could only do night-shifts. Meaning he needed sleep during the day. Except right now, of course. He had the weekend off, something about being an exceptional employee.

Sweet Pea didn’t understand how he was such a good worker when in his mind he was just doing what was asked, but he wasn’t about to go complaining to Pop. Despite losing his chance for an education, he was happy with his situation. He could avoid the bustling crowds of the day and have nearly all his time for himself. The only downside being that him, Toni, Fangs, and Joaquin never got to hang out anymore. 

On the other hand, he didn’t have to deal with too many Northside assholes even though Pop’s was on their turf. Sweet Pea didn’t know a lot about spies, but getting to go freely where he wanted without being harrassed sure as hell made him feel like one. He almost felt free being able to walk on whatever side of the tracks he wanted. He swapped the paint cans again and began on filling in the “G.” 

“Alright germ, time to hit the road!” A voice called out, causing Sweet Pea to whip around and drop his spray can. “This school doesn’t accept blazers!” 

“Reggie?” He asked in surprise. They hadn’t talked since, well, it had been just around four months since that night. They had passed each other around town in between then and now, and Reggie had come to Pop’s a few times at two in the morning blitzed out of his mind, but he never really acknowledged Sweet Pea. He had just assumed Reggie hated him or was grossed out or-. Sweet Pea shook his head. “What are you doin’ here?” 

Reggie raised an eyebrow. “Do I know you?” 

Internally, Sweet Pea felt a slight pain that he knew shouldn’t be there. “No,” He said quietly. 

“Great! That makes this easier.” Reggie placed one hand on his hip. “Get lost. This is Bulldogs’ property.” 

Sweet Pea gestured to the graffiti in protest, eyes narrowed. Reggie stared back, unmoving at first. After a few seconds, he moved to look at the wall. “Well..wasn’t expecting free propaganda. I assumed you were making a giant cock. Why’d you do this?” He side-eyed Sweet Pea.

“Beats me,” 

“That’s like wow, seriously, but it’s still vandalism.” 

“You gonna bust me for art?” Sweet Pea asked, betrayal overtaking what little part of his features that Reggie could see. He knew Reggie had the right to call the police, the responsibility even, but he worked hard on this piece and it seemed fucked up to ignore that. 

The football player sighed. “There’s no point is there? You got a mask on and you’d be gone by the time the fuzz got here. It’d be a dumb waste of time. Besides, it looks good, like you put real effort in it. Go ahead and finish it.” 

“What?” 

“Finish it. It’ll look stupid if you don’t. The wall was bland anyways.” Reggie stepped back and crossed his arms. Sweet Pea gave a sharp nod and continued working. 

He knew Reggie was the captain of the football team, loads of chicks came to Pop’s after games and were loud enough that Sweet Pea could keep up with all the local chit-chat. He hadn’t thought about the chance of Reggie showing up though. He had actually nearly forgotten about the boy, or at least that’s what he told himself. There may have been a few occasions when he was restless and let his mind wander, and maybe a few times it wandered to Reggie. Maybe he felt shame afterwards and maybe he would tell himself he regretted that night. Maybe he was a liar. 

“Judgin’ by your threads, you don’t look like you’re from this side of town.” Reggie pointed out. “You a greaser? Or just some broke square? Squares don’t have taggin’ skills like that though.” 

Sweet Pea smirked under his mask. He was a great tagger. “Don’t you preps have a smell for hoods? You tell me.” 

“Thug then?”

“Not a fuckin' thug. Just a gangster.”

“My bad. The art’s turnin’ out real nice, by the by."

“You’re distracting me. Stuff it.” 

Reggie chuckled, quiet enough that if Sweet Pea wasn’t paying attention, he might’ve missed it. The smugness that surrounded it made Sweet Pea want to break something. He held the spray can tighter.

“Alright, I’ll quit bugging you.” 

Sweet Pea caught some of the running paint and started filling in the “S.” Once he was done with this, he guessed he’d just go home and nap. He originally planned to bug Fangs and see if he had anything happening, but now he wasn’t so sure if he was up for socializing. If he were to let anything about this interaction slip, or if he were to seem distracted, or even pissed, Fangs would instantly know something was up. Then, all his friends would conspire against him until he broke. He trusted them with his life, however, his secrets were a whole ‘nother ball game.

“Finished,” He stepped back and took in his piece. It wasn’t as good as the serpent on the side of the Whyte Wyrm, and the last two letters looked rushed, but it was still rad as shit. At least Reggie seemed to think so. Sweet Pea knew he could do even better if he didn't have an audience. 

“Holy shit,” he uttered. “That’s wicked!” 

“Thanks,” 

“Do you do these, like, professionally?” 

“No, it's illegal.” 

“That’s a shame. You got talent.” 

Sweet Pea turned away slightly, blaming the weather for the heat he suddenly felt on his face. He really wasn’t use to being complimented on his pictures since no one actually knew he was the artist. “Thanks,” he repeated, his voice sounding the slightest bit strained. 

Silence filled the air. How do you talk to someone in a situation like this? He wanted to ask Reggie if he recognized him, if he even vaguely remembered him, but had no clue how to approach the topic. He could just go for it. Or he could pretend they had never met. He inhaled deeply before pulling down his mask. Winging it was always a good idea.

“Oh, hey! It’s the Midnight Busboy!” 

Sweet Pea blinked at Reggie. “Is that what everyone’s calling me now?” 

Reggie laughed. “Yeah! Well, I accidentally got the football team doing it and it’s turned into an inside joke of sorts. You’re basically famous.” He nodded to the graffiti with a smirk. “And a fan too. I guess it really is a small world.” 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and pulled down his bandana. “I’m not a fan. I’d get my ass knocked flat if I tried to come to a game.” 

“Aw, c’mon, cat! There’s gotta be a reason for you comin’ all the way out here and putting all this effort into decorating our locker room.” 

He thought about it. There was only one reason for him to be here and that reason was standing right in front of him. That reason only recognized him as “The Midnight Busboy.” That reason, realistically, could get him killed. Now, that excited Sweet Pea. He could never say no to a little damger.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” he began slowly, carefully. “Hang out with me a couple of times and I’ll tell you anything you could ever want to know.” 

Reggie’s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly, like he was a dog and Sweet Pea just asked if he wanted to go for a walk. “About you and the Southside?” 

“As much as I can without getting lynched, sure.” 

“Deal!” Reggie held out his hand.

They shook hands and Sweet Pea couldn’t help but think about that night. His hand closed around Reggie’s in the exact same way, making Sweet Pea feel like he was just transported months into the past. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend he was back in the bar. When he glanced at Reggie’s eyes, he wondered if maybe some part of him felt the same thing, the same familiarity. 

“Do you only recognize me from the dinner?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them.

Reggie grinned in that way people do when they’re confused but trying to be polite. “Sorry, yeah. I mean, your voice  _ does _ sound familiar, but I’m sure you’ve taken my order before. Should I recognize you from somewhere else? Did we go to middle school together or something?” 

Sweet Pea shook his head and slowly pulled his hand away. He thought maybe Reggie looked disappointed. He wished he knew Reggie well enough to be able to tell. “No, no we didn’t.” 

“Well? Where’d we meet at?” 

“Stick to the deal, Ivy Leaguer.” 

“Oh, playing the mystery card, huh? Alright, alright. Prepare yourself, punk! Your schedule is about to get all filled up by Mantle the Magnificent!” 

Sweet Pea grinned. “I’ll look forward to it,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll fill this whole damn tag watch me


	2. Does It Really Build Us?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All the good times and all the bad times, dumb shit and good shit, it matters.”  
> "I just don’t like dwelling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> accidentally made this twice as long as last chapter

Sweet Pea was cleaning the last of the tables before his shift ended. As usual, the night was slow and by might he meant early morning since his shift started at ten and ended at five. Which just happened to be crawling it's way to the clock.

Just over a week after Sweet Pea’s encounter with Reggie, he had gotten a promotion for his birthday, so now his money was stacking up a little quicker. He was hoping that maybe by the end of the school year he could take his friends to the beach for the summer. He had also finally gotten a bike. It wasn’t anything too flashy, it was taken from a junkyard, however the slick, black paint hid it well. Sweet Pea loved it to hell and back and couldn’t wait to ride it all the way to the coast. 

He finished the last table and made his way to the sink, tossing the table rag on the sink rim and washing his hands before getting started on making some breakfast for himself. He welcomed the heat radiating from the stove top, even through his turtleneck and apron. It may have been only October, but Sweet Pea got cold easily and if he had no reason to show off skin then he wouldn’t. That and Pop liked him to cover his tattoo since it’s not very professional. He didn’t mind. 

His issue with the cold was actually one of the reasons he wanted to go to the beach. It’d be nice to go somewhere where the sun is always out and shining, unlike Riverdale’s bipolar weather that seemed to gloom more than anything. Maybe he’d eventually move to the shore and never come back. He’d miss his friends, but Riverdale wasn’t a good place for him. The town just made him angry. He knew one day he’d get out and he prayed that he could bring Fangs, Joaquin, and Toni with him. Hell, maybe even Jughead. 

The sound of the door opening broke his thoughts. He glanced at the clock.  _ Damn.  _ He thought.  _ Still five minutes until my shift ends.  _

“Do you usually eat your burgers that burnt….” Reggie asked. Sweet Pea turned around and saw him leaning over the counter, smirk plastered on his face. His eyes flicked to the Serpent’s name tag. “..Sweet Pea? Man, is that actually your name or what?” 

“Yes,” 

“To which one?” 

“My name,” he said, turning to the burnt patty with genuine disappointment. It was coming out his paycheck no matter what, so he guessed that it would have to do. “Doesn’t Riverdale open at eight? Why’re you here? There’s three hours until then.” 

“I wanted breakfast, obviously. And who better to serve me than the guy who wants to hang out with me?” 

“I just said you had to spend time with me to get information. Y’know, build trust. Which I don’t build easily. So nothing about wanting.” His tone shifted defensively. 

“Well, honey, you haven’t met me yet. So, get out your little notepad and take my order already.” 

Sweet Pea didn’t know if he felt flustered from the slight flirting or pissed at the arrogance of Reggie’s persona. He decided disgruntled would be good for now and did as he was told. 

“Fine. What’ll you have?” 

Reggie pulled out a crisp one-dollar bill. “That burnt burger and another one, cooked right, for you. Keep the change.” 

Sweet Pea’s eyebrows rose. “You want the roasted patty?” 

“You clearly don’t, so, yeah. Why not?” Reggie shrugged. “I know you don’t got as much cash as me if you’re working here for a livin’, so just take it, yeah? Don’t make a big deal outta it, kid.” 

Sweet Pea didn’t like when other people tried to take care of him like that. He’d made it to adulthood without much help from others and he planned to keep it like that for the most part, but damn he didn’t want to eat the way too well-done beef. 

“Okay, what on it?” He asked softly, taking the bill and placing it in the register. 

“Whatever you usually get plus a coffee. Heavy on the sugar, I'm in a good mood.” Reggie replied and made his way over to a booth in the corner. 

Sweet Pea rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands again, and took his time making a second burger. He didn’t expect Reggie to show up here or today or anytime soon. It had been weeks since the last time they saw each other, twenty-three days to be exact, not that he counted or anything. The point was that it had been practically a month with radio silence. Although, isn’t that how him and Reggie worked? Every time they meet it’s with lapses of nothing in between them. 

He was putting too much thought into it. Too much hope. Reggie would, at most, end up being a distant friend that had slept with him, but didn’t remember it. It was a one-night stand and Sweet Pea needed to get over it. He quickly shook his head, reverting his attention back to the food before he made the same mistake twice. Funny how small things like making burgers reflect human relationships. 

He finished up the burgers and hung his apron up along with his hat. Pop walked in right as the clock ended Sweet Pea’s shift. They nodded to each other with respectful smiles while Sweet Pea waited on the coffee. Pop went to put on his own uniform and Sweet Pea brought the burgers to Reggie’s table. 

“Coffee'll be done in a bit,” 

“Thanks,” Reggie smiled, turning away from the window he was watching the sunrise from. He took a bite from his burger and continued. “So, Sweet Pea, huh?” 

“Laugh and I’ll break your nose.” 

“I wanna hear the story actually. Did you go to jail and get it? I heard you get prison names in jail.” 

“Prison names come from prison, dumbass. It literally says prison.” 

“You know what I mean. C’mon, cat, spill!” 

Sweet Pea pondered it for a minute while eating. He could make up a wild story about how he got his name, or he could tell the truth, or he could just not answer. The first one sounded the funnest, but Sweet Pea honored loyalty and he’d stay loyal to their deal. He noticed the coffee finish brewing and got up to go make Reggie's cup. He could feel the other's eyes on him. He brought the coffee to the table and returned to his seat.

“When I was a baby,” he started slowly, playing up for dramatic effect, “I was left at the front step of the Whyte Wrym.” He pulled his collar down some to reveal his tattoo. He smirked when Reggie gasped. Then, he pulled one of the dog tags out his shirt.

“The only thing I had was this,” he ran his thumb over it, “Just a tag with ‘Sweet Pea’ on it. Nothing else. So that became my name.” 

Reggie leaned forwards, eyes wide and racing around the tag. “You’re an orphan?” He asked with real curiosity. “Shouldn’t you be in an orphanage or something then? You look like a kid.” 

Sweet Pea tucked the piece of metal back into his shirt. “We’re all just kids, aren’t we?” 

“Seriously, like who has custody of you when you’re in school and shit? Do your records just say ‘Serpent Property’ or something?” 

“I was technically enrolled by an orphanage, but I snuck out so much that they quit trying to take me from the gang once I turned sixteen. Then, I dropped out of school.” 

Reggie let out a low whistle. “That blows, but, hey, you’re a genuine bad boy, like in the books. Chicks dig that.” 

“I don’t care what chicks dig,”

“They dig that too,” Reggie said around the brim of his mug. 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and finished his burger before wiping his mouth. “Whatever. Past in the past, right? My history doesn’t matter anymore.” 

“That’s a little pessimistic don’t you think? The past builds us, builds who we are. Sure it sucks sometimes, but wouldn’t be here without it. All the good times and all the rough times, dumb shit and fun shit, it matters.” 

Sweet Pea hesitated and looked down. Reggie was right. He knew that. He also knew that people fuck up. People made bad choices and were full of mistakes. Even if Sweet Pea wanted the past to matter, it didn't matter to anyone else. He looked back up at Reggie and the interest in his eyes made Sweet Pea stumble over his words. 

“Well, I mean, I guess, but shit happens, y’know?”

Reggie broke out in laughter. “Yeah! And that shit? It makes us, even if it sucks. Past is in the past, but so were we.”

“Alright, alright. I get it, optimist. It matters, I just don’t like dwelling.” 

“That’s okay. To each their own.” 

They continued talking, the conversation shifting from less philosophical discussions to stories about the football team being incompetent to eccentric customers that had Sweet Pea in stitches. Before either of them realized it, nearly an hour had passed and the first few early birds starting flocking in. The older couples did double-takes at the pair, followed by distasteful looks. 

At one point, Reggie had laughed a little too loudly and one customer complained to Pop, causing him to wag a finger at Sweet Pea for show and laughed behind his hand once the customer turned away. It was one of the best mornings Sweet Pea had in a long time.

Eventually, six forty-five rolled around and Reggie had to get going. He explained that he needed to go on his morning jog and take a shower. He offered to take the plates to the kitchen, which Sweet Pea refused. 

“Go get your education,” 

“If you insist. Here,” he pulled a few bills out his pocket and forced them into Sweet Pea’s hand. “A tip for the town’s best waiter.” He said with a smile. Brain stalling for a moment, Sweet Pea nodded, then shook his head.

“Wait, no, I’m off duty. You don’t gotta pay me. ‘Specially not this much.”

Reggie waved him off. “A make-up for all the times I came here high and you dealt with me. I’ll see you around.” 

Sweet Pea watched him leave, a small bit of sadness burrowed itself inside him. With a sigh, he tucked the money in his pocket before bringing the plates to the kitchen. Once outside, he climbed on his bike, placed the helmet over his head, and sped home. 

His trailer wasn’t much. It was a two bedroom tin can with one bathroom and no heating or air. It was a real death trap, but it was his death trap. He parked his motorcycle right next to the door and hopped off. His keys jingled as he fumbled to unlock the door and he grunted in annoyance when the door opened without him even unlocking it.

“Stupid lock,” he grumbled. His helmet was tossed onto the small coffee table and his white turtleneck thrown into the laundry pile. Laundry baskets were overrated anyways. He dug through his dresser before pulling on a dark gray t-shirt along with a deep red, plaid overshirt and his Serpent jacket. 

Sweet Pea pushed his bed off to the side, then knelt down and pulled up a loose floorboard. Underneath was a small hole where he kept his knives, photos, and a small box with all his money in it. He pulled out Reggie’s tip and hid it with the rest of his savings before covering up the hole again. Bed back in place, he gave a satisfied grin and made his way back outside. 

Positive his door was locked this time, he started walking to Fangs and Joaquin’s trailer. He rapt his fist against the door a few times. “Buenos días, amigos! Time for school!” 

Joaquin was the one to answer and Sweet Pea had to bite his tongue to not laugh at his hair. As every morning, it was disheveled to hell and back, like someone let a couple hundred rats crawl through it. The unhappy look on his face told Sweet Pea that he knew that very well. 

Sweet Pea pushed past him and into the living room. Joaquin and Fangs’s trailer was only slightly bigger than his, but felt just as small because it housed twice as many people. He plopped down onto the coach and kicked his feet up onto their coffee table, which was bigger than his. Not that that was important since size doesn’t matter.  

“Where’s Fangs?” 

“Hogging the bathroom like he does every morning,” Joaquin mumbled and shoved Sweet Pea’s feet off the table before sitting down. 

A muffled  _ Don’t rush me  _ came from the bathroom. 

“Sounds tough,” 

“You’re suppose to leave your sarcasm at the door, Pea.”

“Right, right. How about I make it up to you with some candy later today? I scraped a little extra cash today?” 

Joaquin smirked. “Finally decided to be the prostitute you always knew you were?” 

“Something like that. What do you say?” 

Joaquin shrugged as Fangs walked out the bathroom, wife-beater clinging to his skin and steaming rolling out around him. Sweet Pea didn’t know how they could afford so much hot water. 

“The movies would be funner, right Fangs?” Joaquin called. 

“We’re going to the movies?” Fangs asked excitedly. 

“Whoa, whoa, hold on.” Sweet Pea stood. “I didn’t say anything about that.” 

“Oh,” the other two both replied in the same upset tone. Joaquin turned his head down in disappointment while Fangs stared at Sweet Pea like someone just blew up a house full of puppies right in front of him.

“Ugh, fine. We’ll go tomorrow, I’ll ask for the night off. Tell Toni.” 

The two cheered while Sweet Pea tried to calculate how much of his money he’d be losing. He came to the conclusion that it’d be best if he just worked concessions. That way he could go and also keep some cash. Sweet Pea wanted to take his friends to the movies, he really did, he just wanted to save up money even more. He could compromise though. It’d all work out fine. 

“We’ll see you later, yeah, Sweet Pea?” Joaquin asked, now standing in the bathroom doorway. 

“Yeah, of course.”

Joaquin gave a quick smile before closing the door. Sweet Pea sat back down, Fangs now joining him. 

“Hey, what’s going on? You look like your thinking.” 

“Finance,” 

“Oh,” Fangs’s voice dropped. “We can’t go to the movies?” 

“No, we can. I’ll just have to work. I know it’s not as fun if we aren’t all together, but..yeah.”

“We can help! You’re thinking concessions, right? You always think concessions. We could all help out while watching!” 

They looked at each other with matching smiles.

“Sorta like our charity ‘raisers?” Sweet Pea asked. 

“Just like that!” 

The taller Serpent nodded. “I’ll talk to Pop,” 

The pair sat in silence for a minute before Fangs spoke up. “What’s all this money for anyways?” 

“I, uh,” Sweet Pea turned away. “I want to save up to go to the beach and bring you guys. To have a break from..all this. But I’m keeping it on the DL, so don’t go yapping to anyone. It’s a surprise.”  

Fangs’s smile widened. “You can count on me,” 

“Thank you, I mean it.”

 

 

"So what's this about being a prostitute?" 


	3. Since When Do I Care?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> movie night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pffffffff i'll proofread later

“Another ‘dog!” Fangs called. Sweet Pea grabbed the roasting fork and stuck it into one of the weiners on the roaster. The smell hit him hard, and despite the fact that hotdogs are actually really disgusting, he felt his stomach rumble. He knew he should have ate before coming here, the concession stand is always busy! He glared at the hotdog while placing it into its bun and applying the appropriate condiments. With a huff, he handed it off to Fangs.

“Dude, calm down. It’s just a hotdog.” Toni snickered from her spot in front of the soda machine. Sweet Pea turned his glare onto her, which only caused her to snicker more. 

Sweet Pea looked at the seemingly never ending line. The movie started at nine, which was quickly approaching. If they didn’t get through everyone fast, his friends would miss the start of the film. He felt an annoyed growl build up in the back of his throat as he turned back to the hotdog roaster. 

It was fascinating, really, how all of  them could work together in such sync. Even Jughead, who Sweet Pea fought with more often than not, could step up and do his part. They each did their share, Fangs taking orders, Toni in charge of drinks, Joaquin handling popcorn, Jughead dealing candy, and Sweet Pea making hotdogs. He supposed even if his friends didn’t see  _ all _ of the movie, at least they were still bonding in a way.

“Well, well, well. Funny meeting you here, Sweet Pea.” Reggie said. Sweet Pea could already feel the scowl creeping its way across his face. Without looking at Reggie, he responded.

“I’m busy. Tell Fangs your order.” 

“Ha! Yeah, this line is  _ huge _ . Even with five of you, you’re still moving slower than my grandma.” 

Sweet Pea turned to Reggie, ready to tell him to fuck off because now was not the time for his stupid taunting, but the words died in his throat. He knew Reggie had a toned chest, he’d seen it before, however the past two times they’d ran into each other, Reggie wore either a jacket or a hoodie. Tonight, though, he was wearing a form-fitting, black dress shirt that brought back all sorts of memories. 

He noticed Joaquin and Fangs’s blatantly confused faces out the corner of his eye, which made him tear his gaze away from Reggie’s pecs to his eyes. Which didn’t help Sweet Pea’s train of thought at all. 

When someone in the back of the line yelled for them to hurry, Reggie spoke up. “Need some help? I got time.” 

Sweet Pea answered immediately. “Hop over, you’re on topping duty.” 

Reggie smirked and climbed over the counter. “Just the way I like it,” he said with a wink. 

Sweet Pea reverted his attention back the the hotdogs before his eyes could get stuck on the other’s hips, which looked fantastic in the pants he had on. “Switch between popcorn and hotdogs and shut the hell up.” 

“Aye, ay-” 

“He said shut up,” Jughead snapped. 

A quick glance to the hatted boy showed the constipated look on his face. Another quick roam around his peers showed that they all had different, but equally distasteful expressions as well. Despite their obvious discomfort, everyone got back in tune.

Sweet Pea was surprised that there were no further outbursts, and even more surprised that they got the crowd to die down with two minutes to spare before the movie started. Fangs said goodbye to the last customer before turning around with his hands on his hips and an irritated look between his brow.

“What’s he doing here, man?” Fangs asked.

Sweet Pea looked at Reggie, who was looking at Jughead warily, who was glaring at Sweet Pea. He turned back to Fangs. “Reggie’s a friend..from work,” 

It wasn’t a complete lie if Reggie  _ had _ hung out with him at work and he really wouldn’t mind becoming friends with the Bulldog. 

“Don’t yank his chain. Mantle doesn’t have a job.” Joaquin said.

“No one would take him,” Jughead added.

“Guys, why's it matter?” Sweet Pea asked confused. 

“He’s an asshole! A Northside one at that! There’s no good reason to be letting him work with us even if we need help.” Jughead yelled. 

Sweet Pea opened his mouth to retort. Even if he did hate the Northside, and hated getting help, Reggie was different! He had to be or-

“Oh lay off, Forsythe. Some of us have matured since eighth grade, y'know?” Reggie defended.

“Yeah? Sorry if I don’t believe that Reggie Fucking Mantle can do something as responsible as “mature.” 

“I get you’re still pissed that I “stole Archie from you” or whatever it is you wrote in your diary, but how about getting your head outta your ass for two seconds and thank me for helpin’ out your little posse here, hmm?” 

Jughead’s face flushed as his voice shook. “Leave Archie out of this!” He spat and climbed over the counter. The group watched as he disappeared into the rows of vehicles. 

Awkward silence flooded the small concession stand and Sweet Pea felt that tear that can only happen when you realize two people you care about hate each other. 

Internally he reeled. _Since when do I care about either of them?_ He asked himself. He prayed that his sudden internal conflict didn’t show on his face. 

Finally, Toni spoke and Sweet Pea mentally thanked her for the distraction. 

“I’m going to grab some snacks, go after Jughead, and enjoy this movie. Fangs, Joaquin, you’re both welcome to come join me, but you,” she pointed a concerningly sharp nail at Sweet Pea. “Need to think over how you’re going to apologize and get all this straightened out with Jug.” Then she looked at Reggie. “Don’t cause any issues. Got it?” 

Sweet Pea uttered out a strained “Yes, ma’am,” while Reggie stared at Toni. It seemed like a silent conversation played between the two before Reggie gave his own affirmation. 

Sweet Pea watched the other three Serpents silently gather food before leaving the stand. His chest felt pulled taut at their silence, but the tautness quickly turned to anger. Tonight was suppose to be fun. He could feel the frustrated rage start to fill him, until a hand on his shoulder made him freeze. 

“Sit your tense ass down,” Reggie said softly. Sweet Pea closed his eyes and did as told, taking a spot on one of the stools placed in the stand. Reggie pulled one from against the wall to in front of  Sweet Pea and did the same. 

They stayed quiet. Sweet Pea had his head back against the wall behind him, hands balled together in tight fists, and eyes still closed. He could feel Reggie watching him, making him feel too exposed for his liking, but he was too caught up in his thoughts to verbalize anything. 

He replayed everything that had happened until he decided the exact moment things started turning sour. Sadly, he admitted to himself that the precise moment was when Reggie jumped the counter to join them. 

He could get why his friends were angry. None of them liked the Northside, Sweet Pea especially, so it must have been weird for them to witness him accepting help from one. Then, he offered no explanation for his choices or acknowledgment to what everyone else wanted. He was inconsiderate, he decided. That’s a good place to start with his apology that Toni would no doubt force him to give. 

He thought about the specific argument between Jughead and Reggie. That’s when things were too far to turn around. They were arguing over some dude named “Archie” and Sweet Pea had no idea who the hell that was. It was also obvious that Reggie and Jug had history, which Sweet Pea knew nothing about. He had been inconsiderate, but also uninformed. Fangs had told him to stop putting all the blame on himself when things went wrong. Maybe this was one of those times. 

With a long and heavy sigh, Sweet Pea opened his eyes. As soon as he did so, Reggie’s gaze moved away. 

“Who’s Archie?” Sweet Pea asked.

“My teammate. Jughead’s ex-bestie.”

Sweet Pea couldn’t recall Jughead ever mentioning being friends with a Northsider or a football player. However, in the argument, Reggie had mentioned something about eighth grade, which was also right around the time Jughead had started showing up around the Whyte Wyrm. 

“You all hang out as kids?” 

“Yeah,” 

Reggie still wasn’t looking at him and Sweet Pea could see the creases in his forehead. He was bothered by the argument. Or bothered by Sweet Pea bringing up Archie. The Serpent felt jealousy climb up his throat. 

“What’s so special about him?”

Reggie looked at him funny and Sweet Pea instantly regretted the question as he watched a smug look surface onto Reggie’s features.

“You jealous too, Sweet Pea?” God the tone of Reggie’s voice when he said Sweet Pea’s name made him want to punch something. It was so accusatory, so prestigious, and so irritatingly hot.

“Two of my friends just screamed at each other over some guy I don’t even know,” he said roughly. 

“Yeah, about that,” Reggie leaned forwards and propped his head up on his folded hands, elbows firmly placed on his knees. “We’re friends now? I mean, I ain’t complaining, but I really thought it’d take more than one conversation before I converted you. Two if you count the graffiti thing. 

_ Three if you count that night. _ Sweet Pea thought bitterly. “Don’t patronize me, Mantle.” 

Reggie’s smirk shifted into a grin and Sweet Pea swore his eyes somehow got bigger. “But you’re fun to mess with. Your face gets all wrinkly and red.” 

“The hell it does!” Sweet Pea yelled and Reggie threw his head back laughing. 

“Oh man, you’re  _ so _ easy to pick on! It takes nothin’ to get you riled up.” 

“For fuck’s sake, Reggie! Just tell me about Archie, so I can apologize to Jughead and he’ll stop acting like a loser.” 

When Reggie looked at him again, Sweet Pea realized he had a thing for dimples. 

“What’s there to tell? We were all pals, back when I first moved here, up until Jones transferred to the Southside.”

“Yeah, but Jughead said-”

“Jughead says a lotta bull, alright? Archie and me got kinda close and suddenly I’m the fuckin’ bad guy. It’s not my fault that knucklehead is easily charmed. Kinda reminds me of you actually.” 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” 

Reggie shrugged. Sweet Pea waited for an answer that never came. Eventually, their attention moved to the movie that was playing. It was some new slasher film that everyone had been ecstatic to see. Even Sweet Pea had been excited.

He liked to replace the main character with himself and think about how he’d do things different. Whenever him and Fangs would watch something together, they’d point out all the flaws and stupid subtle mistakes that the protagonist would make. 

Then again, how does he know that he’d do things differently without actually being put in that situation? Adrenaline is dangerous, that’s why he liked it so much. The rush of being wild and dumb was the most satisfying thing Sweet Pea could think of. Sure, it also held the most consequences, but if you're good enough at what you're doing, there's no need to worry. Except, you'll still worry. That's what being human does, it makes you concerned, then you get through whatever you're getting through, and then you feel like a badass once it's over.

“Bet she’ll trip when she rounds the corner,” Reggie said, interrupting Sweet Pea's thoughts.

Sweet Pea scoffed. “That’s a worthless bet. Of course she will. It’s practically guaranteed since she’s blonde and busty.” 

His sentence was punctuated with a growl from his stomach. His hunger from earlier must’ve finally caught up to him. He heard Reggie chuckle and watched him get up from his seat. 

“You leaving?”

“Course not. Just gonna get us some popcorn.” 

“I can do it,” Sweet Pea started to stand, but a pair of hands on his shoulders stopped him from getting up. 

“I think I can handle it. ‘Sides, you made my food last time. Let me return the favor.” Sweet Pea sat back down and swore he could feel Reggie squeeze his shoulders. 

“Whatever,” 

Reggie gave a small smile before walking over to the popcorn machine. When he came back, he had one large container of popcorn instead of two small ones like Sweet Pea had expected. He placed the tub on another stool that he dragged between the two already present. 

Sweet Pea, who was damn near starving, shoved his hand into the popcorn and grabbed a handful before stuffing his face. 

“You look like a chipmunk,” Reggie commented, taking his seat and some popcorn for himself. 

“You look like a dick,” Sweet Pea retorted, making Reggie laugh. He smirked proudly to himself around another handful of popcorn. He didn't know why the sound comforted him, but it made him think that maybe tonight could still end up alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> saw this fic get metioned on the regpea tag on tumblr and it made me actually type this so thanks whoever that was ily


	4. What Did He Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Pea and Jughead have a heart to heart, or at least as close to one as they can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been tWo mOnThs daaaaamn! so this story was originally suppose to be in real time but since i took such a long break, this chapter takes place late september/early october (the day after the last chapter)- enjoy!

Groggily pushing his alarm clock onto the floor, Sweet Pea sat up and rubbed at his eyes. A yawn escaped him as reality blinked into existence. The alarm clock continued blaring from its place on the ground, hands notifying that it was half past three in the afternoon, but the offending item was soon muffled by the blanket Sweet Pea promptly threw at it. The blanket was his slightly thicker, quilted one that Toni’s grandpa insisted he have. Something about not wanting Sweet Pea to freeze to death, which he was immensely grateful for. He kicked the clothed clock into the corner of his small room, its persistence dying into silence. 

Sweet Pea stretched his arms to the ceiling, then forced himself to his cramped bathroom for a shower. After suffering in the freezing water pellets, he hurriedly brushed his teeth and styled his hair. Satisfied with his hygiene, the Serpent moved on to finding something to wear. He stuck to his bike pants, and a white long sleeve shirt. He pulled a second, slightly looser, long sleeved shirt over his previous one; the second one being black. 

He tugged on his gang jacket and a pair of boots before heading out the door to his bike. Helmet on and keys jingling in his pocket with the movement, he climbed on. After starting the motorcycle, he let is warm up for a bit, relaxing at the now familiar purr beneath him. 

Sweet Pea kicked the bike into gear and drove the short distance to Jughead’s trailer. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. How would he apologize to the other boy?  _ Sorry I got pissed at you for acting like a bitch? Sorry that you can’t get your head outta the past?  _ Well, both of those were a little hypocritical. That would only make his friend more upset. He slowed to a stop in front of the Jones’ home. He groaned and bumped his covered head against the handlebars. 

He hadn’t even done anything wrong! Go figure the first time that he accepts help from anyone, its some Northside dick who has bad blood with his gang. Complicated relationships between people was one more reason he loved dropping out. He couldn’t handle all the sensitive high school drama. He had his own shit to worry about after all. 

Letting out a frustrated huff, Sweet Pea sat up and yanked his helmet off. He hung it on the handlebar and marched up to the front door. His fist pounded the door with less force than he would’ve liked, and the hunk of wood opened to reveal a pissed off looking twink of a gang member. 

“Was wondering when you’d get the balls to come up here and talk face to face,” 

“Listen, Jones-” 

“No, you listen to me, Pea.” Jughead interrupted, causing Sweet Pea to grind his teeth. “I don’t care what the hell you have going on with Mantle, but leave me out of it. I acted out of line, but you know we don’t hang with Northsiders! We can’t be going around taking handouts from them like you did last night.”

“Nothing in Serpent code says we can’t interact with them! Don’t forget, the Serpents were  _ my  _ family first.” Sweet Pea glared, his empathy completely dwindling. Who the fuck was Jughead to try and boss him around? He wasn’t a kid anymore! He shoved a finger in Jughead’s face.

“You use to be a Northsider yourself, Jug! You’re so stuck holding onto your past grudges that it’s blinding you from seeing what a fuckin’ hypocrite you’re being.” 

Jughead swatted the hand away from his vision. “Since when are you so soft on them, huh? You’ve hated them all your life and then for some reason, back in April you suddenly pulled that stick out your ass, but now you don’t even care! You act like everything they did to you doesn’t matter anymore!” 

“Yeah, Forsythe? And what did they do to me? Do you even know? Have you ever bothered to ask?!” Sweet Pea could feel the flush of anger that was sure to be on his face now. His breathing felt off and his eyes stung. 

He could see Jughead’s face clearly, the regret of his words weighing on him heavily. Sweet Pea sighed and turned away. 

Suffocating silence filtered between them. Sweet Pea had hated the Northside. The bigotry that radiated from over the tracks was poisonous and it had flooded his veins. After his night with Reggie though, things changed. They had talked that night, a lot. Sure, Reggie was wasted as hell, but wasn’t that when people were the most truthful? 

Sweet Pea had called him out for being in the wrong place as soon as they were alone and, the shorter boy had just shrugged off the accusation.  _ Doesn’t matter where someone’s from, babe. Just matters what they do, y’know? People move all the time. But what matters isn't where they move to. It matters how they move.  _

At the time, Sweet Pea had assumed that to be some sort of foreplay type of dirty talk, like an innuendo. However, Reggie didn’t stop there. Even as their eyes lidded and their skin touched, the bulldog had continued panting his philosophies into Sweet Pea’s mouth. 

“What did he do to you?” Jughead asked softly. 

Sweet Pea visibly jerked at the sudden break in tension. He felt his shoulders droop and he averted his eyes downwards. 

“Nothing,” he responded. 

Jughead ran a hand over his face. After contemplating for a moment, stepped aside, inviting Sweet Pea inside. Sweet Pea silently moved into the living room, placing himself on the couch. Jughead went to the kitchen and came back with two cans of beer. 

“Won’t FP beat the shit outta you if he sees us drinking?” The taller of the two deadpanned. 

“He won’t be home until tomorrow. We’re fine.” 

Sweet Pea nodded and took the offered drink, cracking it open and chugging half of it in one go. He pulled the can away from his lips with a grimace and heard Jughead snort. Both boys, now sitting next to each other, stared ahead in a poor attempt to find words to say. 

“It’s fine to not hate the Northside,” Jughead started. “It’s good actually. It means you’ve moved past pretenses set for us by our parents. You’re opening the door for a new generation of unity and equality between classes.” 

“That sounds overly dramatic,” 

“Tell me about Reggie,” 

Sweet Pea slowly turned to look at Jughead, who was still staring at the wall ahead. “You guys use to be friends, right? You should be the one explaining.” 

“I don’t know what bit he was putting on for you, but we weren’t that close. The only thing we had in common was Archie.” Jughead’s tone gradually became quieter as he spoke. 

“Who the hell even is Archie? I tried asking Reg, but he was being a candy ass and wouldn’t tell me nothin’.” 

Jughead’s eyes widened and he finally met Sweet Pea’s gaze. Then his face slowly morphed into a grin. “ _ Reg _ , huh? Man, you guys really are close. The only people to ever call him that was Arch and Moose. And a few of the girls occasionally. You really have gone soft.” 

“I haven’t gone soft! Cut the gas, Jones! Why the hell have you been getting all goo-goo eyed every time I bring up  _ Archie _ ?” Sweet Pea deflected. He watched Jughead tense and shake his head. 

“Cause Archie was the best thing I ever had,” he said simply. No more explanation, even when Sweet Pea hardened his glare. Then, the words sunk in. 

“Wait, like, were you two?” He stuttered out, expression shocked and confused. “Did him and Reggie-- ?” 

“No!” Jughead halted Sweet Pea’s questions. “No, we weren’t- and they definitely weren’t- Christ, Pea, what the fuck?” 

“Sorry, I just, I don’t know.” Sweet Pea’s voice hesitated, sounding ashamed. 

“He was my best friend. My only friend really. We were suppose to be together forever, y’know? We did the whole blood brothers gig and everything.” Jughead’s hat dipped as he hung his head. His words doing the same. 

“Then..Reggie took him from you?” 

“Not...not exactly. Can we talk more about it later. I can’t--” Jughead stood suddenly, knees bumping into the small coffee table and nearly knocking their beers over. The waver in his voice worried Sweet Pea. He rushed off into the bathroom, leaving Sweet Pea alone.

No matter how many times he thought over everything he knew, nothing made any sense. Reggie, Jughead and Archie were all friends when they were kids. Jughead and Archie being friends for longer? Then, Reggie came into the picture and sorta stole Archie away? It didn’t make any sense. Jughead could still hang out with Archie even if they lived on opposite sides of town. Sweet Pea made plenty of time for Reggie, more so the other way around if he was being honest, so why couldn’t Jughead do the same?

When Jughead came back out, his face was completely stoic. He picked up his drink and practically inhaled the rest of it. “Let’s go to Pop’s and I’ll tell you ‘bout what we learned today.” 

Sweet Pea nodded both in understanding and in confirmation. The two straightened the small home a bit before heading out. They both got on their respective motorcycles and rode side by side to the diner. 

Pop greeted them both with a warm smile. “Afternoon boys. How did last night go?” 

They glanced at each other wearily. Then, Jughead, always prepared to speak, responded. “We made bank, Pop! Although, Sweet Pea handled most of it.” 

Pop raised an eyebrow, pride in his eyes. “I’m glad to see you two getting along. What can I get you?” 

After placing their orders, offering to make their own meals, and getting denied, they made their way over to a booth. Sweet Pea realized he subcoinsciencly lead them to his and Reggie’s booth. Then he felt heat creep up the back of his neck at the fact that he thought of it as  _ theirs. _

“So,” Jughead started. “You never told me about Mantle.” 

“What’s there to say?” Sweet Pea hoped Jughead didn’t notice the slight edge to his voice. 

“What made you let him stick around? Or, better yet, how’d you meet?” 

“A bar. Few months ago.” 

“Well, that’s anticlimactic. I figured the only way anyone could actually want to hang around Reggie would be if he somehow managed to save them from a near death experience and they felt in debt.” Jughead explained fluidly as if he had somehow had this conversation before.

Sweet Pea felt a short laugh build up, but fought it down with a scowl. As funny as that comment was, he didn’t feel all too comfortable shooting shit about a guy he kinda liked. 

“Dude, no. Reggie’s cool.” Sweet Pea defended, getting agitated. 

“What’s so cool about him? He’s like every other privileged jock.” 

Sweet Pea knew he was being baited and judging by the look in Jughead’s eyes, he was absolutely doing it on purpose. Sweet Pea still felt his undying sense of loyalty kick in and opened his mouth. 

“He’s quick witted, and it’s actually the kinda quick that has intelligence behind it. Like real smarts, not just what you get in a textbook. He has an answer to everything and it’s not always just dumbass jokes or whatever. He has like, like,” Sweet Pea waved his hand helplessly, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. 

“Sustenance?” Jughead offered. 

Sweet Pea nodded. “Yeah, I guess. That.” 

Jughead looked at Sweet Pea thoughtfully. He was starting to worry that he gave away too much when Pop walked over with their plates. They both thanked him before he walked off to help another customer. 

“Look,” Jughead sighed around his burger. “If you’re friends with him, I don’t mind. Archie saw something in him and clearly you do too. I don’t want to hinder you expanding your horizon, so I’ll be slow to show my enthusiasm about this.” He set the sandwich down. “But you’re my friend. So, you have my blessing.” He concluded with a teasing smirk. 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. “I didn’t need your permission to befriend the guy, but thanks.” 

They continued eating, their conversation getting lighter as Jughead explained geometry to Sweet Pea, using his notebook he carried everywhere to write out problems. Somewhere along the way, Sweet Pea’s attention drifted and he noticed a man in a dark suit walk in. He looked around the same age as FP, but more taken care of. He reeked of money and carried his weight in a way that showed his power. Sweet Pea didn’t feel intimidated, just annoyed. 

Jughead noticed his change in attitude and looked over his shoulder at the man as well. The man must’ve felt the eyes on him, because he turned towards them. His square jaw was set and eyebrow raised. Sweet Pea felt his blood boil and by the frown on Jughead’s face, he felt the same. The man gave a small smirk before turning back to Pop and speaking quietly. 

Pop seemed tense, which only served to piss off the two Serpents more. Finally, the man left, and the pair rushed over to the elderly man. 

“Pop! What was that about? Is something wrong?” Jughead panicked. 

“What do we need to do?” Sweet Pea added, tone hinting towards murder without outwardly saying it. 

Pop shook his head. “It’s nothing bad, boys. That man is just my boss. We’re setting up for renovations in the basement as a way to get more income.” 

“Huh? Pop I thought you owned this place.” Jughead stated. 

“I use to. A few months ago, I had to sell the rights. It’s fine though, don’t worry about it.” 

“Why didn’t you say anything? I could've worked extra hours unpaid if money was tight! Jughead would’ve help too!” exclaimed Sweet Pea. 

Jughead nodded enthusiastically. 

“That wouldn’t be fair to you two. It honestly isn’t a big deal, son. You may have a few new coworkers in the future, but other than that, you’ll be unaffected. You may even get another promotion.” 

“Pop I can’t take more money if you’re struggling--” 

“Sweet Pea,” Pop said sternly, causing both boys to freeze. “I’m doing this so we can all make more money. I promise it’ll be fine. Now run along you two. I have orders to take.” 

“ **But-** ” Jughead and Sweet Pea said at once.

“ _ Now, _ ” Pop commanded. 

The two nodded grimly and paid for their food before heading outside with their heads buzzing with worry.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> validation is always appreciated my dudes


End file.
